Face Down
by Procella
Summary: Five years ago, Kenny realized he was attracted to Butters. Four years ago, Kenny figured out it was more than attraction. A year and seven months ago, Cartman and Butters kissed right in front of him. A year, 6 months, three weeks, and six days ago, Cartman and Butters got together. Tonight, Kenny can't sleep because of it. [Theme warning, language warning.]
1. Mr Brightside

**[A/N: So… I'm not dead. I have reasons(excuses)! First and foremost, school started. And I had SO MUCH DRAMA! Basically it all ended with me gaining a friend, gaining a half-boyfriend (It's. Ridiculously. Complicated.) And learning and deciding my place in this world.**

** But that crap's boring! My parental control block decided FFN was a "Pornography Website" and locked me out until I got Chrome(Yes I was using I.E. before, it seemed fast to me… but it's shit compared to Chrome.) **

** Also, My DSi(which is what I mainly use to review/fave) was locking me out of my account on FFN. I would log in, and it would take me back to the homescreen, not logged in. So that was a fun time.**

** Tambien, I ended up focusing on a couple of other fandoms… the first one is a Webcomic called Scandinavia and the World. It's pretty awesome, it's kind of like Hetalia but kind of not, check it out and you'll see! :D **

** The other fandom, is South Park(duh.) And it's less the show, but more the fandom itself! The fanart, fanficiton and the fanon is amazing! I love it all.**

** Oh yeah, and quick note: The majority of them are in their Senior Year in high school and have their drivers licenses. A couple don't because they either can't afford a car or flunked drivers ed.**

** And another quick note: Stark's Pond is still around in this one, because fuck it I LOVED Stark's Pond.**

**Additional info: If you can help me come up with a better title for this fic, that'd be GREAT! Because right now it's only based off the song that inspired this all...**

**One more thing: I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST CARTMAN! I really and honestly truly don't! Yes, he is the jackassiest of all the jackasses, but he makes the show. I almost feel bad for him sometimes, but most of the time I want to punch him in the face. The reason I made him kind of the "bad guy" is because he's just TOO easy to make the bad guy… and the fact I couldn't really think of anyone else who would fill the blank space I needed perfectly. You know those shape things you give kids where they have to put the circle shaped block in the circle shaped hole? Yeah, it was like I had a Cartman-shaped hole that I was trying to shove other characters into before I went "Fuck it, it'll be Cartman" I just wanted to clear that up before a bunch of Cartman-fans start yelling at me.**

**So now we **_**finally**_** get on with the story!]**

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**Song Track– Mr. Brightside by The Killers**

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Insomnia, according to Wikipedia "is an inability to fall sleep or to stay asleep as long as desired." Kenny can't say he ever really had that problem. Yes, his parents would sometimes spend all night screaming at each other. Yes, his sister often needed him to stay up to watch over her and make her feel safe. Yes, Kevin liked playing drums on the front lawn at 3 am. But Kenny had adapted to all that long ago. The only other time where he finds himself not being able to sleep is the night after he dies.

Kenny supposed he was lucky, in some twisted form, that he couldn't die. It meant he would always have a second chance. He would never have regrets. No, that wasn't true. Sure, normal people will regret _not_ doing things, but he will always regret doing things. Each and every single time he dies.

He makes things right though, unless someone doesn't deserve it. He'll apologize for that comment about someone's family, he'll give back the money he stole, and once, he even saved someone's life by telling them that if anyone, he would care about them and talk to them.

"Jealousy" The orange-clad teen read in another tab "is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection." Well he wasn't jealous then. Jealousy is more towards loosing something. You can't lose what you never had.

Kenny frowned, and clicked on the third and final tab, which may be the solution to his problem. "Envy" He read "is best defined as a resentful emotion that occurs when a person lacks another's _(perceived)_ superior quality, achievement or possession and wishes that the other lacked it." Kenny leaned back in his chair.

Well, there's the answer to why he can't sleep. _I'm envious_.

Envy… that's one of the seven deadly sins, isn't it? Supposedly, it's one of the worst. As a person, you are supposed to be happy with what you have, not angry with what you don't. There are apparently two types of envy. Benign Envy is when you want what the other person has, and Malign Envy is where you don't want the other person to have what they have.

Kenny frowned… it was a mix of both really. He did, desperately want what

Cartman has; he's been trying for five years… and nothing. On the other hand, a jackass like Cartman didn't even deserve this.

No, Cartman didn't deserve the love of someone like Butters at all.

Five years ago, Kenny realized he was attracted to Leopold Stotch, better known as Butters. Four years ago, Kenny figured out it was more than attraction. A year and seven months ago, Cartman and Butters kissed right in front of him. A year, 6 months, three weeks, and six days ago, Cartman and Butters got together. Tonight, Kenny can't sleep because of it.

_Fuck. I need some fresh air._ He hopped off the bed, careful not to knock the shitty laptop onto the floor. He decided he would take the front door out, his parents are out anyways. He stepped into the hallway, noting the eerie silence. Kenny wandered down the hallway and stops briefly in front of one of the doors. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he opens it a crack. A single sliver of light shines in the otherwise dark room, but Kenny can see all he needs to.

The faint sound of deep breathing reached Kenny's earns. He looked in, smiling. Although neither Kevin nor their parents have truly hurt Karen in some years, Kenny still had the habit of checking on her at night before he does anything. Sometimes, he gets up _only_ to check on her. He knows it's a habit that he'll never break. Reclosing the door, he wandered to the front door. Stepping out into the biting chill of the night air.

He looked up at the clear night sky, looking at the stars. He felt they were mocking him, somehow. As they were so far away from the problems of Earth, and could just hang in the sky and watch. They were also never lonely, as they always had each other. And on the occasion they we're sad and lonely they always had the moonlight. Which was shining fully on this particular night.

Kenny looked up at the moon, deciding to head down to the pond. He briefly wonders if anyone else will be there, before shaking his head. _Why would anyone be at the pond at three in the morning?_ He wonders briefly, before deciding _because they really need a clear head_. Kenny smiled, it almost sounded like a joke. "Almost" being the key word there.

His mind flashed to the last time he was here, when his mind tortured him with a nightmare. He remembers waking up from it, screaming and crying. He remembers looking at his hands first, to make sure there was no blood. He remembers how he instantly called Butters, Kyle, and Stan while checking on Karen, just to make sure they were alive. He remembers the cold fear when he looked into a mirror in the dream. He remembers seeing himself with a bloody knife.

Such an awful dream, he couldn't help but not sleep the next night, he was to fearful of falling asleep. He had come here, hoping it would calm him down. It did calm him down, until he slipped on an icy patch and hit his head. He was perfectly relaxed, until he found himself drowning in Stark's Pond.

There were very few deaths he's experienced where there was no blood. Those were almost always the deaths he's faced alone. When he was with his friends, and something killed him, there was usually blood. Sometimes he preferred being with his friends as he died, the fact they were so concerned gave him comfort to last for his short time in hell. Sometimes, he preferred to be alone, he wouldn't want his friends to see him hit his head and drown in a _pond_. Now that was just lame.

That was about a month ago, and Kenny never wanted to feel that icy cold again. He read a poem once, he can't remember the exact words, but it was something about the world ending in either fire or ice. He's been set on fire, it hurts like _hell_. No pun intended. It was not something he really ever wanted to experience again, but at least it killed him quickly. Being frozen, on the other hand, hurt as well, the cold stings your skin and there's not a thing you can do about it. If the ice around you is thin enough, it'll eventually melt from your rapidly dropping body heat.

As if Kenny could ever be that lucky. No he had been trapped in an ice block. He remembers how awful it was, and how much he wished he was on fire instead. Death by ice is also very slow. It's like he had faded from life, instead of the switch between life and death he normally experiences.

Kenny looked down at his own reflection, almost as if he expected it to have some answer for him, to have advice, to tell him what he should do. Silently staring back at him was an 18 year old man with messy blonde hair and dull blue eyes. His hands were in the pockets of his orange sweatshirt. He had outgrown his park sometime in fifth grade, and instead just went with an orange sweatshirt. This way he could still keep a hood on his head in the cold times, instead of a hat like everyone else. He never understood why, but he really liked being just slightly different from everyone else, not different enough he'd lose his friends, but different enough that if anyone said his name, everyone would know exactly who they're talking about.

_Maybe that's why Butters won't love you, because you're not like everybody else. _Some voice in the back of his mind taunted. "Fuck you! Cartman's not any better!" Kenny snapped out loud. He clutched his fists at his sides and fell back into the bench behind him. He could see them now… ten years, and they're going to be married, even with adopted children. While Kenny will be living in a shitty excuse of a house all alone, wondering where exactly he went wrong.

_Why?_ That's the only complete question in Kenny's mind he doesn't already know the answer to. He let out a breath, standing up to head back to his house. He was grateful South Park is a small enough town where you can walk somewhere if you need to. Granted, if you live on the opposite side of town of your destination, a car or bike won't hurt, but walking the distance wasn't undoable.

Kenny entered his house with ease, not waking anybody. Or if he did wake somebody, there weren't complaining about it. Either way, it was better than causing a racket and causing a fight between his parents. He headed down the hallway, checking on Karen again before entering his own room. He sighed; school was going to be hell tomorrow if he didn't at least lie down and relax. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his bed, closing his eyes to at least attempt to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Kenny was tired. He never got any sufficient sleep; his mind had too many things going on at once. He trudged to school, thanking god that South Park High happened to be within decent walking distance. Well, decent walking distance for someone without a car that is.

Kenny then saw a familiar flash of turquoise out of the corner of his eye and turned. In front of the school, about ten feet to his right, was Butters and Cartman. From his viewpoint, he could only see Butters' left side, and Cartman's right. Cartman was leaning over Butters, who was leaning up against the brick wall. Kenny had just begun his mental debate of going over there or not when he noticed it. Butters was nervous.

The blonde haired seventeen year old was rubbing his fists together, a habit Kenny knew that had followed him since as long as he or anyone can remember. Kenny narrowed his eyes slightly, a habit of his own which happened whenever he was suddenly looking for every detail. He began listing some details in his head. _Butters is nervous, Cartman is pissed. Butters is slowly sinking down, like he's trying to make himself smaller. Cartman's talking to him… loudly, if the fear on Butters face is anything to go by. But he's not a loud enough that people can hear them, which means they may want to keep this a private matter. _

Kenny was tempted to move closer to try and eavesdrop, but he knew if he did one or both of them would notice him. Cartman's eye narrowed into slits, and he pulled his fist back. Kenny froze, Cartman wasn't going to hit Butters… right? He knew Cartman had some verbally abusive tendencies, but he would never go far as to hit his boyfriend of over a year… would he?

Butters flinched and put up his arms in front of his face defensively. Then, Cartman let his fist down and relaxed. He then just walked away, leaving Butters to sink slowly down the wall, burying his face in his hands.

Kenny was shocked, how the hell was he supposed to react to that? He waited another second or two, before moving slowly towards Butters. He approached the frightened blonde quietly, like he was a small animal he didn't want to frighten. "What the hell was all that?" Kenny asked.

Despite Kenny's efforts to not scare him, Butters jumped. "H-huh?! Oh, it's just you Kenny…" Butters turned his head to looked up at Kenny. Kenny felt his world stop. Butters was sporting a very large, and very recent-looking, black eye. Along with a scrape running down his cheek. It was like someone had taken his face and rubbed it on pavement.

Kenny was stunned, a wave of pure rage hitting him. How _dare _Cartman do this! Butters didn't deserve this! _No one_ deserved this! In his mix of anger, Kenny was only able to say two words. "That. _Bastard!_"

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**[A/N: 2,550 words! That's a lot for me, especially since I'm so lazy...]**


	2. Love The Way You Lie

** [A/N: That last chapter took me three days; I hope you people know that. XD It was also hard to write because the ENTIRE time because I wanted to dive through the computer screen and hug Kenny SO MUCH! So this one is mostly flashbacks… so a lot of italics ahead XD which really sucks for you DSi users since I know neither Bold nor Italic facing shows up. So… CARTMAN FANS PELASE DON'T HATE ME! *gets down on knees* He's just TOO EASY to write as the abusive boyfriend… LO SIENTO! D: No mortasme, por favor? (Oh god my Spanish is AWFUL…)**

** SUPER AWESOME SPECIAL MEGA THANKS TO streebee2 AND Tomi-kat FOR FOLLOWING THIS STORY, AND TO Lwuzhere FOR REVIEWING AND ALSO TO Southparkfreak101 for reviewing and faving! You people are fucking awesome **

**I speak too much, but if any of the characters seem OOC, tell me. I mean, I know they're a hell of a lot more serious than they are in the show, and that I gave them certain traits they probably don't have *cough*Cartmanbeingabusive*cough* But hey, I'm going off the WIKI here people. And just to clarify: The wiki does NOT state or imply that Cartman is abusive… in that sense. That is all.]**

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**Song Track – Love the way you Lie by Eminem Featuring Rihanna.**

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"I'll ask you again" Cartman growled, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits "_Who the hell was he!?_"

Butters sunk down slightly "J-just someone I met the other day, I think his name was-" Butters stuttered nervously. _Shit! I completely forgot I had a date with him yesterday! He must've seen me talking to Ryan…_

Cartman's eyes flashed angrily. "Well why were you with _him_ when you were supposed to be with _me_!?" he raged, pulling back a fist.

Butters instantly lashed his arms up in front of his face to block the blow, tensing up in fear. But the pain never came. Slowly, he lowered his arms to see his boyfriend storm off. Trembling, Butters let himself sink down the brick wall, burying his face in his hands, trying to avoid the scrapes.

"What the hell was all that?" The question made Butters jump.

He snapped his head to face the speaker "H-huh?" standing over him happened to be Kenny, looking like he was ready to kill someone. "Oh, it's just you Kenny…"

Kenny seemed to freeze in place for a moment. His dark blue eyes were staring at Butters face… no… they were analyzing. He was connecting the dots. Butters could see the click of realizing just what was going on, and heard the surprise behind the rage in the two words he was able to speak. "That. _Bastard!_" The blonde instantly dropped down to kneel beside Butters. "He did this to you, didn't he?!"

"I-it's not what you think!" Butters defended his boyfriend "I fell." He lied.

"You fell?" Kenny echoed, disbelief ringing in his voice. "Bullshit. One fall doesn't do _that_"

"W-well I-uh… I feel down the stairs" Butters added, hoping to sound convincing. "Into a door."

"You fell down the stairs into a door?" Kenny raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing a single word.

"I should go…" Butters muttered, standing up.

He began to walk off, when Kenny's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Kenny turned him around "Leopold Stotch." He began sternly, indicating to Butters that he was deadly serious "If anyone's hurting you in any way, I have to know."

Butters forced a smile "I'm fine, really." Butters backed away, before running away from the man who was probably going to punch Cartman in the face anyways. Butters walked into the high school, looking at all the people. He began to feel overwhelmed. All these people, most of which he didn't even know, where staring at him. No… they were staring at his _eye_. They were trying to be subtle about it, trying to hide it. But he could tell. He could tell they were watching him.

The blonde couldn't take this. He turned right around and ran out of the school, ignoring the stares and whispers he knew were trailing after him, following him, spreading rumors and lies. He kept running. He didn't stop, he didn't want to stop. Maybe if he ran far enough away…

No, he can't think like that. He knew he would never be able to leave South Park. Not only would he never make it, but he'd feel too guilty about leaving everyone behind. He looked around, realizing he was in the forest just outside of town. With a sigh, he collapsed down. He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift back to that day on the park bench by Stark's Pond…

* * *

_It started with one word. It was such a simple word, too. Four letters, one of the more common ones these days. You can find it almost everywhere. Walk down the main street of your local city, listen for it, you __will __hear it. It has only one meaning, really. Sure, there's a variety of contexts you could use it in and it would make sense, but it only had one meaning. _

"_Slut." _

"_What?" Butters was sure he didn't hear his boyfriend right. After all, Cartman wouldn't call him a slut unless they were in bed together, and that was more of a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing._

"_I called you a slut." Cartman said it so simply. Like he was just pointing out the fact Butters was blonde, or that he had light skin._

"_W-why do you say that? Butters asked _He doesn't really think that…does he?

"_I saw you with Craig, flirting and giggling like the slut you are!" Cartman snapped, standing up, then turning to face Butters._

"_I-I wasn't flirting with Craig! We were just having a funny conversation, that's all." Butters explained._

_Cartman didn't seem to believe him, but pressed the issue no further._

* * *

_ It only got worse, as Butters probably should've predicted it would. Cartman's words only got harsher, with more sting. He kept comparing to people… why couldn't he "be more calm like Craig (Not that calm is the word Butters would use to describe Craig), or level-headed like Stan, or funny like Kenny, or interesting like _everyone else.

_The blonde didn't want to admit it, but Cartman's words got to him. But Cartman had always been verbally abusive of everybody, it was in his nature. Butters was always able to forgive him, each and every time. Because each and every time, he thought it would never happen again. _

_ Finally, after talking it over with Kenny, Kyle and Stan, Butters knew he had to break up with Cartman, especially since Cartman was beginning to yell and swear at him in public. Butters had approached Cartman in the privacy of his room, admitting that he was sick and tired of this stupid insult-and-apologize game. Cartman didn't take it well. Granted, Cartman hardly took _any_ bad news well, but he really did not take this well._

_ "I… I just… you can't insult the person you claim to love. Making them feel like crap, and then apologizing... it's like a broken record. Over and over again we go through this. But I'm done…" Butters was shaking slightly, but leaving someone, especially someone you loved. But what happens when that someone isn't who they act like at all?_

_ Cartman didn't say anything for a while. He just stood there, looking Butters over. Before he finally turned around and walked to a draw, he pulled something out Butters couldn't quite see, before turning back._

_ His heart stopped, his body tensed, his eyes widened, his hands began shaking. He could hardly fathom this. He took a slow step back, as though it would someone help him. _Come on…_ he begged silently_ Someone, anyone walk in the door!_ Butters knew it was an empty hope. He chose this moment, this place, so they would not be disturbed. Now, it seems his precautions would be his death._

_ Time froze, and Butters found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. _

_ "You have to understand, Butters. I do truly love you" Cartman spoke with an even tone, as though he was burying his true emotions and motives in a monotone phrase. "Which is why I have to do this." _

_ Butters didn't speak. One wrong word, one wrong tone and he would find himself full of bullets. _

_ "I don't want to lose you" Eric went on "You're very naïve, Butters. I know you know this, I just want what's best for you… you need to know that I understand what that is better than you do."_

_ Butters nodded slowly "A-Alright, I'm sorry." He apologized "I guess I wasn't thinking…" _

_ "And that is exactly why I did that… everyone always thinks when death is staring them in the face." Eric smiled, gently put the gun down on the floor, and wrapped Butters into a tight, loving hug. "I know it's scary now, but one day you understand, and you'll thank me."_

_ His voice was so full of love, and of good intentions. Butters couldn't help but hug him back. A small voice in the back of his head told him he was setting himself up for heartbreak again, but he ignored it. _

* * *

The sound of someone calling his name caused Butters' eyes to snap open. He sat up and looked around. "Hello?" he called out, hoping whoever was looking for him would hear. Then again, he supposed if he could hear them, they could hear him.

Butters briefly wondered who in the world would be looking for him, Kenny had already seen him and was likely going off to kill Cartman, who wouldn't look for him anyways. Those two were really the only ones who would even notice he's missing.

"Butters?" The voice was closer now.

Butters wasn't sure who he had been expecting to find him, but it certainly wasn't Kyle Broflovski.

Kyle came crashing through the bushes into the clearing Butters was in. His face was red and he was breathing heavily. He looked like he had been running around for the past ten minutes. Kyle saw Butters and instantly turned to shout into the woods "Stan! Stan, I found him! He's over here!" The raven haired teen burst through the trees, looking as exhausted as his partner.

"Y-you guys were lookin' for me?" Questioned Butters, turning his head towards them. "Why?"

"When you didn't show up for English, Ms. Marrison sent us to find you. Apparently, she saw you talking with Cartman early this morning, but didn't know what happened to you." Kyle explained.

"She thought you were ditching… even though everyone knows you wouldn't do that unless it was an emergency." Stan added before taking a seat across from Butters. "So why are you out here?"

"I guess I just needed to get away…" Butters sighed "I oughtta' come back now, huh?"

"Not if you're not ready" Kyle sat down beside Stan "If you don't think you can handle people asking about your eye, you don't have to go"

"Well… are _you_ gonna' ask about my eye?" Butters inquired.

"No, Kenny told us what happened." Stan dismissed.

"Kenny told you guys…?" _oh shit. Cartman's really gonna hurt me now!_

"Yeah, I still can't believe what happened." Kyle told him

"It's not every day you hear about something like _that_ happening." Stan added

Butters began rubbing his fists together "You guys aren't gonna tell people, right?"

"Nah, we barely got an answer out of Kenny." Kyle shook his head.

"Yeah, people don't really need to know you fell down a set of stairs into a door." Stan added.

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**[A/N: Imma leave it at that, I was running out of material at the end, which is PAINFULLY OBVIOUS! The next chapter will be Kenny's POV… third person-wise. OH GOD YOU PEOPLE ARE GONNA HATE ME FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

** By the way, I usually don't update this fast. This chapter was halfway done when I realized that I hadn't actually uploaded the first chapter. XD]**


	3. Face Down

**[A/N: (RANT WARNING!) Sorry this took so long ^^; I kind of managed to depress myself which lead to some other things… not fun. Not to mention I kept getting major writers block for some reason. And when I did have ideas, I never wrote them down and my sister kept hogging my main computer. I'm actually typing this note as I'm supposed to be researching Credit Unions and banks for Economics**

**PLUS, two of my friends are fighting and GUESS WHO GETS TO BE THE MIDDLE GORUND? And my other friend keeps accidentally hurting me since we have the same gym class and that idiot can't remember that he has training (he's in police junior academy) and I DON'T. So now I have a bruise near my eye and a scar on my elbow.**

**OH, AND THEN I GET KICKED OUT OF MY LOCAL LIBRARY(where I did most of my fanfiction typing) BECAUSE THE LIBBRARIAN DEMANDS TOTAL SILENCE AND I WAS FUCKING WHISPERING TO ALISON ABOUT AN ASSIGNMENT BUT NOOOO IT SET OFF THE DUMBASS SOUND-O-METER SHE HAS SET UP BECAUSE SHE HATES CHILDREN!**

**Oh, and I have a weird medical condition at the moment where it hurts to laugh/cough/hiccup/ right below my ribs/lungs and when I do cough, I taste blood. There's nothing actually there, but I taste it. I told my mom about it, but she decided it's because "I don't eat enough vegetables" and my friends are all concerned I have cancer since it runs in my family. And last Friday, I wound up throwing up fucking BLOOD and I STILL couldn't go to the doctors -_-**

**And my girlfriend broke up with me on Wednesday… :( She told me she thinks she may still have feelings for someone else… and that she doesn't want to lead me on or break my heart. And I understand and agree with her reasoning perfectly, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less.**

**Okay, rant about my personal life over; you all were definitely interested in being my temporary therapist for the minute and a half it took you to read that.**

**And yes. I made myself a World History teacher. XD Deal with it. I'd put a physical description, but… just imagine me as you will. I don't care XD I decided that my "signature" in Fanfiction was that I make a cameo appearance and extremely minor character that only appears once.**

**Oh yeah, and their ages were modified slightly. They're juniors instead, which shouldn't affect things too much.**

**ANDIKNOWITALKWAYTOOMUCHBUT I changed the title to Face Down instead of Mr. Brightside, it fits more. YOU CAN READ IN PEACE NOW~]**

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Chapter Track – Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

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Kenny couldn't focus. It was bad enough that it was a boring class, but he couldn't really think of anything other than Butters. A little over ten minutes into the start of first period, he had received a text from Stan informing him that Butters was missing. Kenny was tempted to just get up and leave class to look for the blonde himself, but he really couldn't afford to since he had used up all his absent-point-things at the beginning of the year. Kenny stared at the piece of paper in front of him he was supposed to be taking notes on, as though expecting words to write themselves and give him the answer. Tell him what he should do.

Kenny's phone vibrating snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to make sure the teacher wasn't looking. Then he slowly slipped the phone from his pocket to his lap. _New message from: Kyle B. _Kenny hesitated before opening his phone, silently praying it was good news. He slowly flipped it open.

_Found Butters._

Kenny breathed a sigh of relief, he was okay. Butters was okay. Kenny couldn't help but smile, and who wouldn't in his position?

"Mr. McCormick!" Snapped the teacher, her arms crossed "Any reason you're staring at your crotch and smiling?"

Kenny felt all eyes in the class land on him. "Uh…" and what the hell was he supposed to say to that? Both answers made him look like a dumbass.

"Because there are only two reasons why you would do that." Ms. Procella went on "And neither are appropriate in a classroom." Cue the snickers of his classmates. "See me after class, Mr. McCormick." She turned back to the board to continue her lecture on World War II. Kenny head-desked, nearly letting out a groan of annoyance. eHe

Seventy-five long minutes later, the bell finally rang. The students rushed out of the classroom like their lives depended on it, while Kenny made his way up to the teacher's desk, bracing himself for a lecture on why he shouldn't be texting in class.

"Alright," began Ms. Procella "I'm going to be late for my meeting and you don't want to be here, so I'll make this quick. Don't text in class unless it's an emergency, and if it _is _an emergency, let me know." She got up and walked out of the classroom, leaving Kenny alone.

He thanked the powers that be that he had a study next period, and that he could get out of it. He walked into the hall and began moving with the flow of students moving from classroom to classroom. Kenny wasn't really paying attention to them; they were just living their lives. They had no interest in him, and he had no interest in them.

Kenny was hardly paying attention to his surroundings; he knew by heart how to get to his next class and didn't really need to pay attention, which is probably why he crashed head-on into somebody when he turned a corner.

"FUCK YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Was the apology Kenny received.

"No really, don't worry about it" Kenny snapped sarcastically, picking himself up off the ground.

"I wasn't apologizing, poor boy." Cartman. Kenny had turned the corner and crashed into the man he wanted to kill.

"I wasn't forgiving, fatass" Kenny shot back.

"'Ey! Don't call me fat, you fucking alcoholic!" Cartman honestly hasn't changed much since elementary school, he was still rather large, still selfish, and still a racist asshole. Sometime around fifth grade, Cartman had declared himself "too cool" for Stan, Kyle and Kenny. He still hung around Butters since he was apparently, quote unquote "A faggot, but nice enough to hang around me" But Cartman avoiding them had resulted in the three of them getting closer to Craig and his group. Over time, the two groups just merged into one, and begun to hang out together more. In all honesty, Kenny can't say he minds any of that… apart from Cartman hanging around Butters.

"Piss off, Cartman." Kenny growled, a bit put off from being called an alcoholic.

"Ooooohhhh… did I strike a nerve?" Cartman sang.

"Just. Fuck. Off." Kenny warned, _don't hit him, don't hit him…._ He told himself.

"Who put a stick up your ass?" Cartman snarled.

_Don't fucking hit him_. Kenny really didn't need another suspension. The blonde decided it was better to not say anything and try to move around Cartman to get to his Study before the bell rang and he was late. He ignored Cartman yelling various insults after him, and just girtted his teeth and moved on.

_I hate him, I might've felt bad for him as a kid because everyone else hated him, but I hate him._ Kenny thought as he entered the classroom just as the bell rang. He sat down in his usual seat, waiting for the teacher to take attendance. As usual, when his name was called he informed the teacher he had to go to the school library to type up a paper. He left the classroom, and instead of the library, headed for one of the many side entrances.

The cool air hit his face as he stepped outside. Almost instantly, he noticed someone else was already there. "Craig" He greeted

"Kenny" Craig returned "Come out here for a smoke?"

Kenny shook his head "Not this time, I'm just out here to clear my head."

Craig cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing more. They stood in comfortable silence, until Craig's phone rang. Kenny caught a glance of the screen before Craig answered. _What would Tweek be calling him for? _

"Hello? Wha- Tweek! Tweek, calm down! Tweek I can't understand you!" Craig had pushed himself up off the wall and looked ready to run. "That's better, now what is going on?" A pause "Cartman's _what?_" Kenny faced Craig, giving him a questioning look. "And no one's stopping him?" Another pause "Alright, good point. I'm on my way." Craig hung up and pocketed his phone.

"What's going on?" Kenny slowly questioned.

"Cartman's beating the hell out of butters, and no one's doing anything about it because they're either too scared or already have Cartman making their life a living hell." Craig explained opening the door to head back inside. "They're in the courtyard" Craig added.

Kenny pushed past him and rushed into the school, only one thought on his mind: _I'm going to _kill_ Cartman. _The hallway walls passed by him in a blur, he was vaguely aware of Craig running behind him. By the time he reached the courtyard, his legs hurt and his lungs burned. But he wouldn't stop now, he would keep going forever if it came to that.

The first thing he saw was the crowd, the only person he recognized completely was Tweek, who looked terrified. He briefly looked back, and saw Kenny and Craig at the doorway. The frightened blonde ran over to them "You guys have to do something! Cartman won't stop!" Kenny shoved past him and pushed his way through the crowd to see for himself.

The first thing he saw was the blood. Small dark red stains on Butters jacket, and small streak of it on his face, which was covered in dirt and bruises. The small man lay on his side, arms sprawled in front of him and legs bent slightly. The bright blue eyes were hidden behind closed lids, his mouth slightly open. His chest rose and fell lightly.

Kenny turned his attention to the bastard who would dare attack Butters. Cartman looked _furious_, his face was twisted into a mad expression of hatred, rage and insanity. His hands were clenched into bloody fists, and he was breathing heavily. Something gleaming caught Kenny's eye, and that's when he noticed the knife in Cartman's left hand. Cartman raised the knife, rage blazing in his eyes.

Kenny quickly jumped in front of Butters, ready to shield him from the blade. He ignored the instinct to shut his eyes, and instead met Cartman's. He silently dared him to try something. Cartman hesitated for a second, and that was all Kenny needed. The blonde lashed forward, punching Cartman in his nose. The brown-haired man stumbled back, holding his nose. "You're going to regret that, _Kinny_" he warned.

Kenny narrowed his eyes "And you're going regret mistreating Butters, Cartman" he shot back, before turning around. He looked to Craig "Get Butters out of here!" He ordered. Kenny knew in any other circumstance, Craig probably would've just flipped in off and said something about how Kenny is not in charge of him. But this was Cartman, the man who had fed his father to his half-brother at the age of nine. Craig may be an ass sometimes, but he hated Cartman nearly as much as Kenny did.

Kenny turned back around, knowing Craig would do as he said. He met Cartman's eyes again. "Alright, you wanna fight? Let's fight" The rest of the crowd had stayed, eagerly watching to see who would be victorious. Kenny had a feeling most of the money was not on him.

Cartman didn't speak, just charged forward. Kenny sidestepped him easily and sent a roundhouse to the back of Cartman's head, knocking him down. Cartman got back up and rubbed the back of his head. Before Kenny could register what was happening, the brown-haired man had charged at him again, this time pinning him down.

Kenny thrashed, trying to break free. Cartman had him trapped. _No! I'm not letting him win! _Kenny looked around wildly, desperately trying to figure out a solution. _I have to think my out of this, since he has me beat in the muscles and weight department. _A strange little idea flashed in the back of his mind. It was crazy, but it might work. Kenny slowly allowed his muscles to relax, trying his best to ignore the increasing pain where Cartman had him pinned.

"Not gonna' fall for that one, _Kinny"_ Cartman sneered, smirking. "Your dumbass dirty tricks don't work on me." Kenny felt Cartman shift his weight to his right arm. Slowly, almost tauntingly, Cartman brought the knife into the air.

Kenny's eyes widened, now understanding what Cartman was going to do. "You won't." He whispered, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

Cartman's eyes narrowed, and his grin widened "Watch me."

A lot people say that right before you die, your life will flash before your eyes. Kenny knows first-hand that's not true. Other people will say that time slows down, and that's not true either.  
Reality didn't change when the sharpened blade pierced through Kenny's chest. Kenny barely noticed when Cartman got off of him and ran off, leaving the knife in his chest.

He brought his hand to the knife, trying to pull it out. but his body was weakening, and his vision was going blurry. He could vaguely hear someone yelling, calling for him.. Kenny weakly turned his head to the side, trying to see who.

He saw someone knelt over him, a fragile-looking blonde with blue eyes that matched the sky. Kenny coughed, before smiling. He hated dying with a passion, but he was glad that at least he would have the comfort of his love's face before death came for him.

He was saying something Kenny couldn't quite make out, something reassuring probably. Kenny coughed again, feeling darkness creeping over him. Kenny barely knew he was speaking until he heard his own voice speak in a harsh rasp. "I love you"

The last thing he saw before the darkness took him completely, was Leopold "Butters" Stotch smiling at him through tears.

* * *

**[A/N: OHGODPLEASEDON'TKILLME! I'm starting the next chapter RIGHT NOW! Because it would probably be cruel to keep you guys hanging like this…]**


	4. How to Save a Life

**[A/N: I'm actually starting this chapter the same day I posted the last one, so… not sure which tense I should be speaking in…**

**Anyways, HUGE SUPER SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO IS CURRENTLY READING THESE WORDS! In the rush of actually finishing the last chapter, I forgot to thank you guys for motivating me and giving me a reason to write! :) *heart***

**Originally, this was gonna be in Butters POV… but there's parts that I needed Kyle for.**

**And yes. Style. Sorry if I just crushed someone's ship… *gets way to guilty when it comes to other people's ships***

**So by the time this is finished, it'll probably be 2013, so… HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D]**

* * *

Chapter Track – How to Save a Life – The Fray

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

* * *

"It's rude to stare" Stan greeted as he sat down at the lunch table, setting his tray down next to Kyle.

Said Redhead shook his head to bring himself back to attention. He sighed "I can't help it… he just looks so sad…"

"So ask him to sit with us" Stan shrugged, picking up his possibly-a-sandwich to take a bite.

"I did earlier, he told me he'd rather be alone." Kyle frowned, finding himself looking across the lunchroom at Butters again "I really wish Kenny would come back."

Stan looked at him with reassuring blue eyes "You know Kenny, he always does this. He'll go missing, come back, and everything will go back to normal."

Kyle shrugged "He _doesn't_ always go missing when Cartman does. I finally asked around about that." Stan gave him a look, so he went on. "The last thing anyone saw them doing, was fighting each other. Craig says that Cartman had Kenny pinned, and was about to kill him, but he ran the knife through the ground instead. Then he ran away, with Kenny chasing after him."

"Craig says a lot of stupid shit" Stan commented "And running away isn't exactly something Cartman _or_ Kenny would do."

"I thought so too" Kyle agreed, looking up at the ceiling "Then Tweek backed him up."

This caused Stan to pause; Kyle could see him thinking about that. "So Cartman and Kenny fought each other before disappearing? You don't think…"

Kyle lifted his eyebrows "Think what?" he asked.

Stan shifted his weight, "Well… you know…"

"No Stan, I don't" Kyle informed him.

"You don't think that one of them killed the other and ran off, do you?" Kyle could hardly hear Stan, but there was no doubt about what he was saying. Or about whom he thought killed who.

Kyle's head snapped up, understanding what Stan was implying. "Cartman wouldn't…" he tried _would he?_

"Yes, he would Kyle" Stan answer his silent question. "You of all people should know that."

"We need to call Kenny." Kyle stood up, ready to walk out of the lunchroom.

He was held back by Stan, who had grabbed his wrist. "Kyle… let's wait until school's over, okay? So if something _is_ wrong we can go looking for him."

Kyle stared at him for a moment, before sitting back down. "I hate it when you're right."

Stan chuckled softly and kissed his forehead. "I know."

* * *

Kyle leaned against the brick wall, impatient. Where the hell was Stan? School had ended roughly ten minutes ago, and the sooner they found Kenny, the better. Kyle frowned _Kenny's gone missing before, and for longer periods of time. Why is it any different now? _He took in a deep breath and sighed _I mean, yeah he was fighting Cartman right before… and that asshole is missing too. But how do I know it's connected? Kenny could be back tomorrow and laughing at me for worrying._ He sighed and looked down at the ground, deciding he worried far more than what is healthy.

Something bright caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his right to see a small rectangular object at his feet. He looked around, before shrugging and picking it up. _A flashdrive_ He silently observed. He turned it over to see if there was a name on the other side. Indeed, there was. But not the name he would've expected.

_Kenny McCormick_

Kyle's eyebrows shot up. _Kenny had a flashdrive?_ He silently wondered. _I wonder what's on it… probably porn._ He frowned. _I wonder if this can help us._

"Hey, Kyle!" the redhead looked up to see Stan running towards him, Craig and Tweek in tow. "I got Craig and Tweek to agree to help us."

Kyle looked to them and sighed "Alright. Our first task is to head to my house." He held up the flashdrive "I just found this. We should take a look. It might help us."

"You know that's likely filled with porn, right?" Craig asked, giving him a look

Kyle shrugged "We'll live."

* * *

"Actually, I found it on the ground." Kyle informed them, plugging in the flashdrive. "It's pure luck it's his"

The icon popped up and Kyle clicked on it. The redhead wasn't sure what had been expecting. Porn maybe, but not for the flashdrive to be mostly empty. The only thing on it was a video that was named '93426913' Kyle exchanged a look with Stan before clicking on it.

The first thing he noticed was that the video was really low quality. The sound wasn't that great either. Kyle could hardly tell what was going on on his computer screen. He could make out what looked like… Kenny and Cartman?

This must've been a video of Kenny and Cartman's fight, but why would it be on Kenny's flashdrive? Especially if both of them have been missing? Frowning, he studied the video as it continued. He spotted several things both of them could've done to easily defeat the other, but they were also too enraged at one another to be thinking clearly.

Then, on his computer screen, Cartman lifted his knife. The cameraperson of the video's hand became shaky, and you could hear several kids screaming. And Kyle could make out the pixelated crimson mess that was Kenny's blood.

Cartman had stabbed Kenny.

Kyle pushed back from his desk with all his force, shaking. "Kenny…. Kenny is… Cartman…" he tried to comprehend reality. He tried to comprehend the fact that one of his closest friends had been murdered.

Stan was holding him, it took Kyle a moment to realize that. Stan had moved to hold him, but he was also shaking. He didn't say anything, but it was clear he was just as devastated.

Craig's eyes had gone wide, he wasn't shaking, but it was evident he was at the very least surprised.

Tweek, unlike the other three, didn't seem affected or devastated at all. He seemed like he was waiting for something. But for what?

The unasked question was answered moments later, when Kyle felt something shift deep within his mind. Something had been opened, unlocked. A repressed memory had just been discovered, and it slowly made its way to the front of Kyle's mind.

The next words he spoke terrified him. "This isn't the first time this has happened." Stan and Craig looked to him in surprise, silently question his words. Kyle went on "This isn't the first time Kenny has died"

Stan opened his mouth to say something, but Tweek cut him off. "He's right. Kenny has died multiple times throughout our lives. Think about it. The memories of him dying are in your brains, but it's up to you to recall them. Kyle has, and you both can too."

Stan and Craig exchanged a look, but neither of them protested. After a moment of silence, it was Craig who quietly spoke. "I remember now… he's died before this. This is only his most recent death."

Stan nodded in agreement. "How… how could we forget?"

Tweek spoke "I don't know. Almost everyone does. Every time he's ever been missing…"

"He was dead" concluded Kyle softly.

"How come you never told us?" Asked Craig.

Tweek looked from him, to Stan, to Kyle and back again with dull green eyes. "You all think I'm crazy as is." There was a hint of sadness, but his tone was mostly acceptance. "If I told you that Kenny dies several times a year, you'd put me in a mental institution."

The room was silent, then Kyle spoke up. "We have to take this to Butters. He, of all people, deserves to know"

* * *

The four of them had gone directly to Butters house, Kyle knocked on the door. Butters' Dad answered.

"Can I help you boys?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the group.

"Yes, sir. Butters is our partner for an in-class project for English. We came to let him know that the plan has changed." The lie shouldn't have come out as easy as it did.

Butters' Dad moved aside "Come in, boys. Butters is upstairs in his room."

The four moved up the stairs, and opened the door to Butters room.

Butters was lying on his side on his bed, facing away from his door. His shoulders we moving, but no sound was heard. His shades were drawn and the lights were off. The radio was on, but on a too soft volume to hear properly. There wasn't a trace of doubt anywhere in this scene. Butters was crying.

Stan stepped forward, and called out softly to his friend "Butters?"

The blonde sat straight up, startled. He turned to look at who had spoken, and Kyle's suspicions were confirmed. Butters was crying.

"Oh man… Butters…" Stan began, clearly unsure of what to say.

"Why are you here?" He asked in a tired manner.

"Butters… we have to show you something. Do you have a computer?" Kyle looked around the room, not seeing one.

The blonde nodded and pulled a laptop out from under his bed. "Shut the door." He ordered. The group stepped in and shut the door, Kyle moved over to Butters' bed. "Now what's this all about?"

Kyle pulled the flashdrive from his pocket, and handed it to Butters. "there's something you have to see."

Butters expression didn't change once throughout the video. It kept the same miserable, haunted look. The video ended, Butters was frozen in place. He kept staring at the screen, his blue eyes wide and scared. Finally, after a minute of eternal silence. He spoke, his voice laced with sorrow and confusion "How long have you known about this?"

"We only found out recently." Kyle confessed "We're just as confused as you."

"We should go to Kenny's house." Butters stood up. "He'll be back by now. And if he's not, he'd want someone to check on Karen."

* * *

The McCormick household was always fairly easy to spot. It was the only house on the other side of the train tracks, and it was one of very few single-level houses in South Park. Also, there was almost always the sounds of arguing coming from inside.

But the house was silent, for once. Kyle would be lying if he said that didn't unnerve him a little bit. He made his way up the path, Stan, Butters, Craig and Tweek behind him. He knew by now that if he knocked, no one would answer. There was no lock on the door. Kyle stepped into the house, noticing that it was dark. He was tempted to call out, but he really didn't want to be the one to wake up Stuart McCormick if he was sleeping.

Kyle turned and made a shushing motion to the others, before making his way inside. He stepped around the empty or broken beer bottles and began to move towards Kenny's room. He grasped the doorknob and opened the door.

Inside, Kenny was lying on his back on his bed. He was looking up at his ceiling, smiling about something. Upon hearing someone enter, the blonde sat up and faced his doorway. He swung his legs over the edge and examined the group for a moment.

"Well, fuck." He swore.

* * *

**[A/N: To explain how Kyle knew: Remember when he found out the tooth fairy wasn't real, and when omniscient-god-like? I have a weird little headcannon that he retained some psychic ability from that. Like, he can't tell the future, but if the phone rings he knows who it is before he looks at the ID**

**Oh, and as an explanation for the flashdrive… a student had his iPod and was filming the fight between Cartman and Kenny, and accidentally filmed Kenny's death. They found the video, and realized that no one else remembered the death, not even him. So he went out and got a flash drive and put the video there, and put Kenny's name on it so that he could see that there's evidence of him dying. First one to guess who it was gets a cookie XD**

**ALSO I was tempted to split this chapter in half, but then I was like "THE LENGTH MAKES UP FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES~"**

**Untrue, but it made me feel better XD**

**UUUGHGGHHHJIIJIOFJQIO I rushed the ending again, but I HAD to get it up TODAY.]**


	5. Zombie

**[A/N: ^/^ I love you all so much. You guys make me feel really awesome for writing this :D And my self-esteem can use all the help it can get.**

**So this chapter features what Kenny's been up to in Hell :D YAY FOR ETERNAL DAMNATION!**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEW RESPONSE TIME!**

**Guest: THANK YOU SO MUCH! :'D**

**Jen: THANK YOUUUUU!**

**Autumn: THANK YOU!**

_**CREDIT TO (THE VERY AWESOME) MONTANA-BOB FOR THE IDEA OF HAVING KENNY BE SHOWN OTHER PEOPLE'S FORGOTTON MEMORIES! **_**]**

* * *

Chapter Track - Zombie - The Cranberries/Miser (whichever version you prefer)

* * *

No matter how many times he dies, no matter how many bullets he takes, how many times he's decapitated, how many cars hit him, it never gets any easier. Each and every time, his death is painful and sudden. He never predicted when he would die next, or how. If he did, he would be wrong. It was better to just let it happen, than live in nervous anticipation of the inevitable.

And yet, part of him wished he did know, so he could warn other people to stay away from him. Kenny would never be able to forgive himself if his back luck caused someone else to die.

Kenny can't really say the afterlife bothers him as much as it should. Hell really wasn't a bad place. The guy in charge was pretty cool, and his son was fun to hang around if he liked you enough. Not to mention that Kenny was kind of a friend of the family. After all, he had gotten Satan out of his relationship with Saddam Hussein.

Apparently, Damien had hated that fucker too. Shortly after Satan and Kenny went back to hell, Damien had come up to him and thanked him, and Satan had informed Kenny that he was welcome in the castle any time. Which was why he wakes up in a bed in hell when he dies, because Satan had learned pretty quickly that he would be there often. He and Damien had agreed to get Kenny his own room in the castle.

He was laying on his back on his bed, hoping against hope that Cartman wouldn't hurt Butters while he was away. He was lost in thought.

Naturally, he jumped when his door swung open with a bang. The blonde sat up, seeing it was Damien in his doorframe, looking a bit more pissed off than usual. "As the sole heir to the kingdom of hell, I demand you stop being depressed!" He ordered in mock-commanding tone "I can sense your worry from miles away, and it's bugging me. What's up?" He sat down on Kenny's bed.

Kenny knew it was no use lying him. "Just… a bunch of shit went down right before I came here."

"On your paper, it said you were stabbed. Who murdered you?" Damien pressed.

Kenny frowned, placing a hand over where he had been stabbed, remembering the sharp pain. "Cartman." He answered simply.

"_Cartman_ stabbed you?" Damien echoed "What the fuck for?!"

Kenny stared at the wall "He was abusing Butters" he muttered. Damien was one of the few in existence that knew how Kenny felt about Butters, it's hard to lie to the master of sin.

Said master of sin frowned "So you…?" he prompted

"So I almost stayed out of it, because Butters wanted me to." Kenny admitted "But then Tweek called Craig, and it turned out Cartman was beating up Butters in the courtyard. I attacked Cartman, and he stabbed me."

Damien got a very serious look on his face. "What about Butters? What happened to him?"

Kenny hung his head "That's what's worrying me, I have no idea. I'm not gonna be shown any memories until I have to leave. And that's in two weeks."

Damien awkwardly put a hand on Kenny's shoulder "Well, if Stan and Kyle have any idea how important Butters is to you, they'll protect him. The others will too." He assured.

Kenny knew there was truth in Damien's statement, the blonde looked to his friend. "Yeah, they will." He agreed. "And I think everyone's going to stay away from Cartman, now that they've seen what he's done to Butters."

"Now your seeing reason, which means you should stop being depressed. Because your depression is _pissing me off_"

Kenny couldn't help but laugh, good ol' Damien.

* * *

Two weeks flew by in a blur. Between helping Satan redecorate, and talking Damien into asking Pip to move into the castle with him, he was fairly busy. Finally, the day he was supposed to go back came. Satan came to find him in his room, where he had been waiting. He took him to the same place he always did, a mirror in an otherwise empty room in the castle.

"You ready?" Satan asked.

Kenny nodded and faced the mirror. Yes, he was ready for whoevers memory he got, and whatever they contained. Satan left the room, giving him privacy as Kenny waited. The mirror slowly faded into an image of Kenny's dead body, as viewed from a distance. He could see Butters kneeling over him, crying. He could see Cartman running towards the other door, trying to get out. He could see the blur at the bottom of the image, indicating that whoever's eyes he was looking through, they had at least had tears in their eyes at Kenny's death. The person blinked them away, and Kenny guessed that they had wanted to seem strong. The person looked to their right, and Kenny suddenly knew who's eyes he was looking through, and just why they had to seem strong.

Kenny was looking at Tweek Tweak through Craig Tucker's eyes.

Tweek Tweak didn't seem to have a reaction to Kenny's death. He almost never did, and Kenny couldn't figure out why. He couldn't figure out why he never saw Tweek's forgotten memories either. The blonde looked tired, his green eyes looked empty.

Kenny loved that he was able to skip time when watching memories, otherwise he would be here for another two weeks. The blonde frowned as the memories blurred by him, not seeing the particular person he was looking for. Finally, the memories ended with Craig feeding stripe before going to sleep. Kenny stepped back from the mirror, worried at Butters' absence in Craig's memories.

Then again, Craig and Butters didn't interact one-on-one. They only spoke to each other if one or more of their circle of friends was also present. So it was probably nothing to worry about.

Kenny felt hell fading around him. He was returning to the real world once more.

* * *

His parents were gone when he woke up, not that he really minded. Kevin seemed to be missing too. He had found Karen's room empty, but a glace at the clock told him that she was at school. Deciding to just rest, he had lied back down in his bed, contemplating life.

He didn't know how much time had passed until his door opened to reveal Stan, Kyle, Craig and Tweek. Something had been different about them. They looked sad, but surprised. Kenny had a feeling it was nothing good.

He sat up, swinging his legs over the bed. He looked at the crowd, and swore.

"Kenny! You're… you're really…" Stan was shaking, he sounded like he wanted to cry.

"I'm what?" Kenny asked, trying to get an answer.

"They're surprised you're alive." Tweek stated simply.

"We thought you died!" Kyle added.

_What the holy fuck? _Kenny bolted up like he had just gotten the surprise of his life, which for the moment, he had. "Uh… repeat that?"

"Kenny… we _saw_ you die! We have video evidence of-"

Kenny cut Stan off "Wait a fucking second, you remember?!"

"Of course I remember!" Stan exclaimed "I mean… I didn't. But I do now."

"You…" Kenny shook his head "Holy shit. Someone explain this to me."

"They remember. They remember that you died, and they remember every time you have died." Tweek explained. "But you have some explaining to do too. Why can't you die?"

Kenny sat back down on his bed. "Well, I _can_ die, for starters. I just seem to have trouble with the whole 'staying dead' thing."

"How long has this been going on?" asked Kyle, concern dancing in his green eyes.

"My entire life… er… lives. Do you remember the cult of Cthulu?" Kenny looked up at them, hoping they did.

"Those crazy people who we tried stopping when we were little?" Stan asked.

"Yep, those guys." Kenny confirmed. "My parents used to be a part of them, and my deaths are connected to them. I have a couple of different theories, but I'd rather not test either of them."

"Is it just you? What about your family?" Asked Craig

"I don't know. I suspect Kevin can't die because he has a habit of disappearing, but I'm not totally sure about Karen. And am _not_ willing to try anything." There was almost a physical force in the last sentence.

"Okay… now for the final question. Are you aware of how you died?" Stan spoke his question quietly, like he was afraid Kenny would lash out at him for asking.

"I am always aware of how I die. So yes, I am aware that Cartman murdered me." Kenny confirmed.

Suddenly, Stan and Kyle were pushed aside by a force that had not previously known to Kenny. Stan had caught onto Craig for balance, and Kyle onto Tweek. But Kenny was not focused on that. Kenny was focused on what had pushed them.

His blue jacket was unzipped and dirty, his skin was pale and sickly, his blonde hair was messy and unbrushed. His sky blue eyes were empty and haunted. Butters Stotch looked like shit, and it scared Kenny.

But before Kenny could say anything to him, Butters had launched himself at Kenny, clinging to him, crying into his chest. Kenny automatically wrapped his arms around the smaller man, holding him tight. Butters was sobbing something, but Kenny could barely understand him. It sounded something like "You're alive."

Kenny held him tighter "I'm never gonna' leave you alone, Buttercup." He promised "Even if I'm not physically there, I'm still watching over you."

"I was so scared that Cartman had hurt you… and then finding out he had killed you…" Butters' voice was shaking.

"Leopold Stotch," Kenny began seriously. "I would face all of hell for you. Cartman is nothing."

* * *

** [A/N: Abrupt ending is abrupt. **

**Look, I'm updating fast-ish for once. And by fast-ish I mean IT'S NOT TAKING ME OVER A MONTH! *throws party*]**


	6. Leave out All the Rest

**[A/N: I REGRET NOTHING]**

* * *

Chapter Track – Leave out All the Rest – Linkin Park

* * *

_A week later_

* * *

"No, no" Kyle corrected "Cheese tastes yellow."

"Dude, I'm telling you cheese tastes fucking green!" Clyde argued.

"I can't believe you guys are even talking about this" Stan deadpanned.

"Welcome to my world" Craig commented.

Kenny listened to his friends talk, happy with the world at the moment. It was morning, and the group of friends were sitting on a stairwell near one of the emergency exits. Kenny had an arm around Butters while the two listened to Clyde and Kyle go back and fourth about a really ridiculous topic.

"Cheese is yellow" Kyle said slowly "Therefore it tastes yellow"

"Color doesn't affect the taste!" Clyde exclaimed. "I mean, German chocolate cake doesn't taste brown!"

"Then what color does it taste like?" Token questioned.

"Rainbows" Clyde answered with a completely straight face.

"…Rainbows?" Kyle echoed

"Rainbows." Clyde confirmed.

"I don't think food tastes like a color…" Tweek interjected.

"Okay, I'm officially changing the subject" Stan raised his hand "Let's talk about… um…"

"Dead babies!" Clyde exclaimed, waving his arms

"Let's not." Craig lightly kicked his friend "And who the hell gave Stan the authority to change the subject?"

"The church of lady gaga" Stan answered

"I wouldn't be surprised if that exists" Kenny finally decided to join the conversation.

"I bet Stan worships there." Craig snickered

"Don't be stupid, Craig." Token grinned, "He worships at the church of Black Veil Brides."

"How do we get from talking about food tasting like colors to churches of various musicians?" Kyle questioned.

Suddenly, Kenny felt a force separating him from Butters, as Clyde had forced his way in between them. "COCKBLOCK!" Clyde screamed

Kenny roughly shoved Clyde away "Fuck off!" He yelled, even though he was laughing.

"Isn't that Butters' job?" Clyde asked innocently.

"Get that image out of my head get that image out of my head get that image out of my head…" Stan chanted.

Before their antics could go on, however, a familiar figure had come out from behind the stairwell and up to the group. Kenny was on his feet in an instant, ready to attack. Stan and Craig also stood up, ready to back him up if he needed it.

"Cartman." Kenny spat.

Cartman put his hands up in defense. "I understand that you probably don't want to see me, but-"

"'Don't want to see you' is an understatement." Kenny sneered. "What the fuck do you want?!"

"Can I talk to you?" Cartman asked. "Alone?" he added, casting a glace at Stan and Craig.

"Why should I?" Kenny narrowed his eyes

"Because if you just hear me out, I swear I will never so much as look at you again if you don't want me to." Cartman promised.

Kenny took a glace behind him, at his friends first whom all looked furious, then to Butters, who looked scared. "I don't believe you." He stated, looking back.

"I know you don't." Cartman told him. "You don't have a reason to/" Cartmna looked past Kenny, at his friends. "How about this? You and I can be just around the corner. So if something happens, you can yell and they can come help you."

"You're dead set on this, aren't you?" Kenny questioned. Cartman nodded. "Fine" Kenny sighed "But only for a few minutes."

Kenny stepped towards Cartman, fighting the urge to hit him. Cartman turned and made a motion with his hands that indicated that Kenny should follow.

True to his word, they only went around the corner.

"What's this about?" Kenny demanded _It wasn't enough for you to kill me?_ He silently added.

Kenny didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe he had thought Cartman was going to attack him, maybe he though Cartman was going to threaten him. Whatever he was expecting, it certainly wasn't "I'm sorry"

"Excuse me?"

"I said I'm sorry" Cartman repeated. Kenny didn't respond, he didn't know how. So Cartman went on. "Look, I know I've done and said some awful things. After I killed you-"

"You remember that?" Kenny cut him off

"I remember all your deaths." Cartman admitted "After I killed you, I went into hiding. And I… well, I've seriously reexamined my life and myself. I guess seeing someone like _Butters_, who loves everyone, have any dislike for me kinda shook me up. I went and isolated myself for a little bit. That's where I've been, actually. I took a good look at myself, and I hated what I saw. I… reformed, I guess. I know I probably can't make up for what I did. And I know I don't deserve forgiveness… I'm not asking for it. All I want is a second chance. I know you can't help but see all the shit I've put you through when you look at me. But… maybe just a chance okay?"

Really, Kenny had been expecting everything but this. "I… Why should I believe you?" It's not that Kenny didn't believe him, since he's known that Cartman would wake up and realize eh's a terrible person eventually. It's that Kenny knows he _shouldn't_ believe him.

"You shouldn't." Cartman amended. "If you don't believe me, don't believe me. In fact, I will walk away and never bother you again if you want me to. I'm only asking for a second chance."

"You've known me all our lives, Cartman." Kenny began "You should know I believe in second chances"

Cartman smiled and held out his hand "Call me Eric"

Kenny takes Eric's hand and shakes it.

* * *

**[A/N: Really short chapter is really short, but the next chapter is worth it… things start to pick up**

**So remember when I said "Cartman is the villain"? I may/may not have been lying… this story might be different than what you think it is.**

**There's still going to be an antagonist… but it's not who you're expecting. **

**As my friend says (*looks pointedly at xXomegastreakXx who might be looking at this*) "[I] never fail to surprise [you]"**

**Oh, and the cheese-cake-color-rainbows thing? True story. I love my friends]**


End file.
